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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. vault — a safe
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tear — to rip
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tear — from crying

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