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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: bear · chip · coach · perch · net · plane · wind · field

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — a subject
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wind — moving air

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