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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — a trail
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. current — happening now
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — soda
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pop — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — electric
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. current — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — a tin
  24. safe — out of danger

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