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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 120 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: chair · mouse · stock · hide · perch · bulb · present · field

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. field — a subject
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. field — for sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stock — goods
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — shares
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

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