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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: perch · fine · kid · field · object · patient · mouse · prune

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. object — to protest
  3. kid — child
  4. field — farmland
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. object — an aim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. object — a thing
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. fine — high quality
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for 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