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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: bulb · field · perch · capital · leaves · swing · jam · pitcher

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. capital — a city
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. field — farmland
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. field — for sport
  10. capital — money
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. swing — music
  18. field — a subject
  19. swing — in golf
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. jam — in traffic
  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