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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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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: mouse · field · bear · foot · patient · craft · cabinet · perch

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — for sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. field — farmland
  6. craft — boats
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bear — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — the fish
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mouse — the animal

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