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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. swing — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — money
  11. board — a committee
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — in golf
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — to play on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — to get on

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