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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: coach · mine · perch · bear · calf · arm · pit · field

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — for sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. field — farmland
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. field — a subject
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — in a race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bear — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  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