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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 120 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — after costs
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — to shout
  23. net — in sport
  24. can — a tin

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