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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — to go on
  5. roll — a list
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spell — magic
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — final
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pop — music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — letters
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. perch — the fish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — soda
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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