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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. straw — a straw man
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — thin
  9. cap — of ice
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spring — the season
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lean — to bend
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cap — a lid
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cap — a hat

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