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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 · kick · stem · jam · roll · perch · lean · date

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — to bend
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. field — a subject
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. date — the fruit
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. roll — a cake
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — a list
  14. perch — the fish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. field — for sport
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — in football
  24. field — farmland

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