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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · kid · squash · dip · court · patient · perch · pound

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. squash — to crush
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — the sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — to tease
  12. court — of law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. kid — child
  22. court — for sport
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — a weight

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