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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. board — a committee
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — a lid
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — a phone
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. board — to get on

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