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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spring · trunk · saw · chair · leaves · bay · perch · field

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. field — a subject
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. field — for sport
  6. chair — a leader
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. field — farmland
  12. spring — the season
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spring — a coil
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — of water
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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