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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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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 · perch · stick · temple · cue · cap · bowl · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — farmland
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cue — a signal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cue — a hint
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cue — for pool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — for sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — a subject

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