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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wake — a trail
  6. drill — the tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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