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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cold — not warm
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — an illness
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — a series
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. squash — to crush
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cap — a hat
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. perch — the fish
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rash — on the skin

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