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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 116 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: field · court · season · pound · band · perch · ball · lean

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — thin
  13. field — a subject
  14. band — a ring
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. perch — the fish
  21. court — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — for 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