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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. perch — the fish
  4. saw — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ground — a position
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. club — for golf
  19. saw — the tool
  20. club — a group
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. vault — a safe
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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