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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bank — for money
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bank — for money
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — to protest
  18. cold — an illness
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mine — for digging
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. object — an aim
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. object — a thing

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