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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — to point toward
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — army training
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — a trail

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