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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ground — crushed
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. suit — to fit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ground — a position
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. suit — clothes
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ground — the earth
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — in cards
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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