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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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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: perch · sharp · current · rash · pitcher · date · bear · field

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. current — of water
  3. rash — a series
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — for a bird

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