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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. suit — clothes
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. suit — to fit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  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