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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — a friend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bound — tied together
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — obliged
  22. craft — boats
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. patient — a sick person

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