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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. foot — a measure
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fork — in a road
  8. squash — the sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to click
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — to crush
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. club — for dancing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — a group

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