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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: lean · nail · ground · pitcher · coach · perch · spell · present

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — magic
  7. present — the time now
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ground — a position
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — thin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — a gift
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — the earth
  22. present — there
  23. spell — a short time
  24. lean — to bend

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