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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 120 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 · chest · perch · current · club · bore · present · wound

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. club — for golf
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. club — a group
  6. current — of water
  7. present — a gift
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. perch — the fish
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. bore — to drill
  14. current — electric
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — for dancing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — there
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bore — to tire

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