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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cold — an illness
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. root — of a plant
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cold — not warm
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rest — a break
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. root — the cause
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. root — of a word
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — a sick person

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