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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
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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 · patient · field · craft · pitcher · squash · sharp · pop

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. squash — the sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pop — soda
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pop — to visit
  8. field — for sport
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — the fish
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — farmland
  21. pop — music
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. perch — for a bird

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