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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: pitcher · perch · trunk · field · band · coach · spring · spell

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. spring — the season
  6. perch — the fish
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a music group
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. trunk — of a car
  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