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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 · fine · perch · trunk · pitcher · kick · fall · drill

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — all right
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — a jug

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