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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mark — a grade
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — help
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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