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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · bore · net · cold · perch · game · field · board

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bore — to tire
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. net — for catching
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. field — a subject
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — in sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — after costs
  20. bore — to drill
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. board — to get on
  24. game — a kind of play

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