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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: wave · field · pitcher · wound · calf · perch · bass · coach

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — low music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. perch — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — farmland
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — an injury

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