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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: field · ground · squash · cue · bound · stock · perch · mark

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — certain
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mark — a trace
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. field — for sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — a position
  12. field — farmland
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — goods
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — a subject
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cue — a signal
  24. squash — to crush

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