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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.

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: land · swing · bear · perch · sharp · hide · rock · field

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — for sport
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rock — a stone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — music
  10. land — a country
  11. field — farmland
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rock — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — to come down
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. land — ground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bear — the animal

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