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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: field · perch · kid · season · scale · bear · lean · date

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. field — for sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — thin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. season — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — to tease
  16. lean — to bend
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bear — to put up with

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