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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: object · bank · march · field · perch · net · saw · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. object — a thing
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. march — music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. bank — of a river
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — a subject
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. object — an aim
  21. march — the month
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. field — farmland
  24. object — to protest

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