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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — farmland
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. perch — the fish
  6. face — to confront
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wax — to grow
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. game — wild animals
  22. field — for sport
  23. game — a match
  24. bank — for money

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