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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — size or range
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pass — a permit
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spring — the season
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. press — to push
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — of water
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — a place of worship

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