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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. perch — the fish
  8. press — newspapers
  9. board — to get on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — a publisher
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. file — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. board — a committee
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a leader
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mine — for digging

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