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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. march — music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — a skill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — the fish
  21. craft — boats
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. patient — a sick person

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