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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — an injury
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. suit — to fit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. suit — clothes

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