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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. snap — to click
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. board — a committee
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. perch — the fish
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — to get on
  21. plane — a tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. prune — the fruit

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