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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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Word bank
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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — bread
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. toast — the most admired

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