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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a line
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. plane — a tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — of law
  22. perch — the fish
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. plane — an aircraft

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