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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. row — a line
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — to come from
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. season — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. field — a subject
  20. perch — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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