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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: suit · pound · straw · perch · file · pitcher · field · lean

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. field — farmland
  14. lean — thin
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. field — for sport
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. suit — in cards

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