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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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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: field · court · rest · perch · stock · scale · bank · swing

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. swing — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — to play on
  6. field — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — in music
  10. court — for sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — goods
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — shares
  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