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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: perch · mug · bear · staff · content · field · lean · file

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mug — a face
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. content — happy
  16. mug — to rob
  17. file — a line of people
  18. field — a subject
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a document
  24. perch — the fish

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