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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kick — in football
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bear — the animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — the fish
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bore — to drill

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