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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: bound · game · perch · bank · root · rush · clip · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. game — a match
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bank — for money
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bound — obliged
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. clip — a video
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bank — of a river
  19. field — a subject
  20. bound — certain
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — of a plant
  24. field — for sport

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