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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — a face
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bank — of a river
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mug — to rob
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. clip — a video
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bank — for money
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. clip — for paper

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