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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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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: snap · trunk · spell · pitcher · pound · wave · row · perch

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spell — a short time
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — letters
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spell — magic
  18. pound — a weight
  19. snap — to click
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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