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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 120 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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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: pass · band · temple · arm · field · wave · lean · perch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — the fish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — a subject
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. field — for sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. band — a ring
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. field — farmland
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. band — a music group
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. band — a rubber band

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