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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rock — a stone
  8. tube — the underground
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. roll — a list
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to click
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rock — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bowl — a dish

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