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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. firm — decided
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. perch — the fish
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. drill — army training
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bear — the animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bear — the animal
  20. firm — steady
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. firm — a company
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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