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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.

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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: perch · bat · bound · suit · plane · field · mine · craft

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. field — a subject
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. craft — boats
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. plane — a tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bound — certain
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bound — obliged
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — for sport
  24. plane — in geometry

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