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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. net — in sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — finally
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — to go on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. net — for catching
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — a path
  11. last — final
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — a series
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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