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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. perch — the fish
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rush — hurry
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — an explosive

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