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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — money
  3. mine — for digging
  4. capital — a city
  5. field — a subject
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mug — a face
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. perch — the fish

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