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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · pit · press · pitcher · spring · cold · bank · rash

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rash — a series
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — an illness
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — to push
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — not warm

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