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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. can — to be able to
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — to rip
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. perch — the fish
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. dip — to sink
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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