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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pop — to visit
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spell — magic
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — a country
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. spell — letters
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pop — soda

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