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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. last — final
  3. foot — a measure
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. last — to go on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — a country

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