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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — a subject
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mug — a face
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — a trail
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hide — animal skin

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