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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stem — to come from
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bound — certain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. patient — a sick person

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