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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
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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: season · firm · straw · toast · clip · roll · perch · field

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — a video
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — steady
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. firm — a company
  13. season — in sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. toast — bread
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. clip — for paper
  20. field — a subject
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. field — for sport
  24. season — of the year

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