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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fall — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — to drop
  6. key — for a lock
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — in music
  14. spell — letters
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — hasty

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