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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. staff — a stick
  3. craft — boats
  4. roll — a cake
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. perch — the fish
  11. staff — employees
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. root — of a word
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. roll — a list
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a plant
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — a skill
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. root — the cause

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