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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. perch — the fish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — moving air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. suit — to fit
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. perch — for a bird

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