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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — to confront
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. perch — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — there
  11. squash — the sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — a gift
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — to point toward
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. present — the time now
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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