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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bank — for money
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — money

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