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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — music
  3. object — a thing
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. object — to protest
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — a phone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — to tire
  21. object — an aim
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. perch — for a bird

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