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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — a tool
  5. roll — a cake
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. roll — a list
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stock — shares
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — to breed
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — low music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. perch — the fish

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