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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: fine · present · perch · field · bear · ruler · tear · staff

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bear — the animal
  7. present — there
  8. bear — the animal
  9. present — the time now
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. field — farmland
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. present — a gift
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. staff — employees
  20. field — for sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — a subject
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — the fish

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