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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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. pop — soda
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. spell — letters
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — to visit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pop — music

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