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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: bear · perch · lash · cue · field · squash · mine · sharp

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — for pool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — clever
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. field — farmland
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — for sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — the fish

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