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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. board — to get on
  10. field — a subject
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. board — a committee
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — farmland

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