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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.

Make a worksheet

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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. charge — in control
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. charge — electricity
  8. field — a subject
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — in music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — size or range
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — the fish
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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