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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — music
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. swing — to play on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ball — a great time
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ball — a dance
  21. tube — a container
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. straw — a straw man

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