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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — certain
  5. pop — soda
  6. bound — tied together
  7. scale — size or range
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bound — obliged
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — to visit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. perch — the fish
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. race — humankind
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — a contest
  23. pop — music
  24. race — the arms race

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