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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cell — a phone
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — part of the body

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