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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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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — to wash
  4. field — a subject
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. field — for sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. shower — rain
  14. field — farmland
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — in sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chip — for betting
  24. patient — a sick person

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