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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 120 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: rock · land · field · racket · season · fan · firm · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — for sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. field — a subject
  10. land — to come down
  11. rock — music
  12. firm — a company
  13. field — farmland
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — a country
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. firm — steady
  20. land — ground
  21. firm — decided
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — of the year

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