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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to sink
  6. perch — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ground — a position
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — a series
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. ground — the earth
  24. patient — a sick person

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