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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 120 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: cue · hand · perch · mine · field · stand · mark · kick

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. hand — in cards
  3. field — for sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — help
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kick — in football
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kick — with a leg

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