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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — of the year
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. field — for sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. season — in sport
  17. plane — a tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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