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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. perch — the fish
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — army training
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. patient — a sick person

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