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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. scale — in music
  5. field — a subject
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. field — farmland
  8. bulb — for light
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — for sport
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — for light

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