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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. clip — a video
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — for paper
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. clip — to cut
  18. shower — rain
  19. plane — a tool
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — to wash
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — an untruth

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