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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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Word bank
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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — a contest
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. perch — the fish
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — a subject
  22. lie — to recline
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — a sick person

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