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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — a country
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — electricity
  6. object — a thing
  7. charge — a price
  8. perch — the fish
  9. land — ground
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. object — an aim
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. charge — in control
  18. land — to come down
  19. object — to protest
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. staff — a stick
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — of law
  24. staff — employees

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