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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 · ball · wave · straw · track · foot · pop · field

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ball — a dance
  5. track — to keep track
  6. field — a subject
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a great time
  13. track — a path
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — the fish
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wave — of the sea

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