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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: field · season · scale · net · file · perch · bulb · bay

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. net — in sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — farmland
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. file — a tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. net — for catching
  16. perch — the fish
  17. net — after costs
  18. field — a subject
  19. file — a document
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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