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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stem — to come from
  5. field — farmland
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — a subject
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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