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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: wake · pitcher · face · deal · plane · wound · perch · saw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — part of the head
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. saw — 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