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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: squash · spell · rash · field · file · bear · perch · last

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rash — a series
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — a short time
  16. last — final
  17. squash — to crush
  18. field — a subject
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — finally
  21. field — farmland
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — hasty

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