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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: last · perch · field · temple · chair · wax · pitcher · prune

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. last — finally
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — final
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — to trim
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — to go on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. field — farmland
  18. perch — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chair — a leader
  23. temple — side of the head
  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