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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 116 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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cue — a hint
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cue — for pool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cue — a signal
  20. perch — the fish
  21. face — to confront
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — a container

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