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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 · tear · band · saw · board · field · jam · date

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. tear — to rip
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — for sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. field — farmland
  12. board — to get on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a music group
  16. board — a committee
  17. field — a subject
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. perch — the fish
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — the fruit
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. band — a rubber band

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