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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — hasty
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — in sport
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rash — a series
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — of the year

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