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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bore — to tire
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — a division
  11. perch — the fish
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. squash — to crush
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — to drill

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