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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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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: club · bear · field · rock · perch · tube · present · hide

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. field — farmland
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — a gift
  6. rock — a stone
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rock — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. present — the time now
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. present — there
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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