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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — from a university
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lean — to bend
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — the fish
  22. degree — temperature
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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