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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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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. field — farmland
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. key — the most important part
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. key — in music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cell — a phone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. field — for sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — a subject
  24. nail — for a hammer

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