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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: perch · rush · tear · bound · wax · field · bowl · stem

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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 — a subject
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — farmland
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — in the ear
  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