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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. date — the fruit
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — for sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. bulb — of a plant

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