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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — boats
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a skill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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