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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — final
  9. band — a ring
  10. last — finally
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — the sport
  14. band — a music group
  15. wake — a trail
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. perch — for a bird
  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