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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · band · saw · rash · perch · content · pitcher · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. content — the amount
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. firm — decided
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. band — a music group
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. band — a ring
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — happy
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com