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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 120 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spell — magic
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. track — a path
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — a song
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bear — the animal

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