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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: mine · perch · rest · pitcher · field · bulb · roll · court

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — for digging
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. court — for sport
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — the fish
  11. court — of law
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. roll — a list
  21. field — for sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — a jug

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