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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. snap — to click
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. field — a subject
  5. band — a ring
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — for sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. band — a rubber band

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