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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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468
Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — the fish
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. board — to get on
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — for sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. staff — employees
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. perch — the fish
  14. field — farmland
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — low music
  17. bound — certain
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — a committee
  20. bound — tied together
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. board — a flat piece

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