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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. scale — in music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. club — for golf
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. perch — the fish
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stand — to bear
  20. club — a group
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tube — a container

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