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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: field · object · mouse · season · perch · squash · leaves · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. object — an aim
  8. ground — a position
  9. field — a subject
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — for sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — crushed
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. field — farmland
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. season — in sport

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