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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: bass · can · kid · track · shower · perch · jam · field

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — farmland
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — to wash
  8. field — for sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — to tease
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. track — a path
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kid — child
  19. perch — the fish
  20. shower — rain
  21. field — a subject
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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