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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: pitcher · racket · coach · perch · row · bound · press · leaves

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — certain
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — newspapers
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. racket — a loud noise

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