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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: game · ruler · season · wound · perch · root · field · net

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — of a word
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. net — after costs
  12. game — a match
  13. net — in sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — of the year
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — for sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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