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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spell — a short time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spell — magic
  12. perch — the fish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — to sink
  19. season — of the year
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. season — in sport

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