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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 116 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: bore · bark · perch · capital · pitcher · chip · wave · pitch

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. capital — money
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. capital — a city
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. capital — a big letter

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