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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a leader
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — the fish
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — ground
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bulb — for light
  22. land — a country
  23. last — final
  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