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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — farmland
  4. toast — bread
  5. wax — to grow
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — a subject
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. perch — the fish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — for sport
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mine — for digging
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. sharp — clever
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mine — an explosive

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