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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: perch · stick · present · field · mate · spring · rash · key

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. present — there
  3. spring — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mate — to breed
  9. key — in music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spring — the season
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. field — for sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. rash — a series
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — farmland
  22. present — a gift
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — hasty

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