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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. perch — the fish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — from a university

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