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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 120 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: suit · cold · racket · perch · bear · stand · chest · field

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. field — a subject
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — farmland
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bear — the animal
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stand — to bear
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. perch — the fish
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — for sport
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chest — a box

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