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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.

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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — soda
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pop — to visit
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cue — a signal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bound — certain
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — a division

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