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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. field — for sport
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bore — to drill
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — a coil
  15. march — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — for sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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