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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: band · lash · snap · face · season · perch · pitcher · racket

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. face — to point toward
  21. snap — to click
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to confront

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