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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — for catching
  17. cue — for pool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — thin
  20. cue — a signal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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