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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. object — to protest
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. drill — army training
  5. bat — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. object — an aim
  8. clip — for paper
  9. craft — boats
  10. clip — a video
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. object — a thing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — the fish
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. craft — a handicraft

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