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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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468
Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. root — the cause
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — of a word
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — high quality
  22. field — farmland
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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