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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 · pit · staff · bound · sharp · spell · perch · straw

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. sharp — clever
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — for sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — certain

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