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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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — a coil
  3. suit — in cards
  4. field — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — in sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — of the year
  15. spring — of water
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. suit — to fit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. land — a country
  23. field — farmland
  24. spring — the season

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