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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: land · fan · cue · tube · bay · patient · jam · perch

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — to come down
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. land — ground
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — a country
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — a container
  22. cue — for pool
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. perch — the fish

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