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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pop — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rush — hurry

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