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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — a price
  7. perch — the fish
  8. band — a ring
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. land — a country
  12. band — a music group
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — in control
  20. land — ground
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. perch — for a bird

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