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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · plane · pitcher · hand · march · pop · mouse · perch

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pop — soda
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — to visit
  12. current — happening now
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. march — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — help
  17. march — the month
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pop — music
  20. current — of water
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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