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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: club · field · spring · jam · net · kick · bank · perch

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. club — for dancing
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. club — for golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — a group
  11. kick — in football
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. perch — the fish
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spring — of water
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — a subject
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — after costs

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