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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a dance
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — help
  12. ball — a great time
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — a division
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — in cards

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