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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: band · rest · patient · bore · deal · perch · bat · last

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rest — what's left
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a ring
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. band — a music group
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — final
  17. rest — a break
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. last — to go on
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — to tire
  23. last — finally
  24. rest — what's left

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