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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 120 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: can · pitcher · snap · drill · perch · wake · chest · stick

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — army training
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to click
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chest — a box
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — the tool

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