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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — the fish
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — a country
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — a face
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. game — a match
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — to come down
  20. game — wild animals
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — ground
  24. mug — to rob

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