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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. last — finally
  7. root — the cause
  8. last — to go on
  9. drill — the tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. drill — army training
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pass — a permit
  20. last — final
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. root — of a plant

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