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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. object — to protest
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. branch — a division
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — size or range
  14. object — an aim
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. object — a thing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — the fish

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