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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 116 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: wave · game · cap · perch · wake · field · present · board

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cap — a lid
  4. board — to get on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. board — a committee
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. perch — the fish
  9. present — there
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. field — a subject
  24. game — wild animals

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