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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · bound · court · field · squash · perch · fan · tube

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. court — of law
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — obliged
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — of a king
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — tied together
  13. tube — a container
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bound — certain
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — for a bird

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