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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: season · row · coach · field · perch · trunk · saw · spell

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — of the year
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — a short time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  24. field — a subject

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