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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. shower — to wash
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — a short time
  6. firm — steady
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. shower — rain
  11. swing — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. swing — to play on
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. swing — in golf
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — the fish
  18. firm — decided

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