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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
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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 · band · roll · net · fine · perch · foot · wind

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. roll — a cake
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — the fish
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wind — moving air
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. band — a ring
  11. fine — high quality
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. field — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — all right
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — for catching
  23. foot — a measure
  24. perch — for a bird

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