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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. perch — the fish
  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