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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
468
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 · field · wound · leaves · rush · pop · pit · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pit — a hole
  10. field — farmland
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pop — soda
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — to visit
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. field — a subject
  24. pit — in a race

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