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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: perch · field · bear · vault · racket · press · bulb · clip

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — the animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. field — a subject
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. field — farmland
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. clip — a video
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — a publisher
  18. clip — to cut
  19. field — for sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. clip — for paper
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bulb — for light

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