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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a partner
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — to breed
  9. perch — the fish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tear — to rip

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