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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: mouse · press · pitcher · pop · perch · saw · sharp · bear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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