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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. current — electric
  6. game — a match
  7. perch — the fish
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — for pool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cue — a hint
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cue — a signal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. squash — the sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. field — farmland

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