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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: perch · coach · squash · bore · bear · wave · field · kid

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. field — farmland
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — a subject
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. squash — to crush
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bore — to drill

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