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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — low music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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