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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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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. press — to push
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — to rip
  21. prune — to trim
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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