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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tube — a container
  3. drill — the tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — employees
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. drill — army training
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — the fish
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. drill — a practice
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. staff — a stick
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — to rip
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. tube — the underground

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