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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: field · content · fan · lean · perch · pitcher · cell · board

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — in biology
  5. field — for sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. field — farmland
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — happy
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. field — a subject
  24. perch — for a bird

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