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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — in music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. plane — a tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. key — the most important part
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. field — a subject
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bore — to tire
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. field — for sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bore — gave birth

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