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

Word bank: chair · rest · pitcher · field · perch · wind · object · bear

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — farmland
  6. object — an aim
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rest — a break
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — a subject
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — for sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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