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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bound — tied together
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bound — obliged
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — certain
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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