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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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 — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. perch — for a bird
  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