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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 124 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — to wash
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — the amount
  13. shower — rain
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — to push
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. press — a publisher
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. content — videos and posts

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