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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
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: chair · perch · can · calf · bark · wound · field · present

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. present — there
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chair — a leader
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — a subject
  17. present — the time now
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. field — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — a gift

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