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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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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: content · field · bear · season · jam · perch · scale · last

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. scale — in music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. field — a subject
  9. last — final
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. season — of the year
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. field — farmland
  17. content — the amount
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — happy
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. season — in sport
  24. last — to go on

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