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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — a subject
  3. row — a line
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. row — to paddle
  8. current — happening now
  9. tear — from crying
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — electric
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. field — for sport
  19. current — of water
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. perch — the fish

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