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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — a subject
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. field — for sport
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — farmland
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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