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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — to come down
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. prune — the fruit

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