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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: perch · season · march · rush · dip · last · field · rash

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — a subject
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — finally
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. perch — the fish
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. field — for sport
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — a sauce

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