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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: mark · field · season · game · lean · perch · deal · wind

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. mark — a trace
  10. deal — to handle
  11. game — a match
  12. lean — to bend
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — farmland
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lean — thin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. deal — an agreement

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