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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.

Words on the sheet
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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — for sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — a subject
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a document
  20. kick — in football
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. file — a tool
  24. cell — a phone

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