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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — to come from
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — to grow
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a tool
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. file — a document
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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