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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. perch — the fish
  2. hand — help
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fine — high quality
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — all right
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. hand — in cards
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fan — a supporter
  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