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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.

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: kid · perch · pop · current · field · straw · rock · game

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pop — to visit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — of water
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. field — farmland
  7. kid — to tease
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rock — music
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. game — a match
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kid — child
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — electric
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. perch — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  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