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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — army training
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. drill — the tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tube — a container
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. charge — a price
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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