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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: cap · land · net · board · calf · perch · bat · patient

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. net — for catching
  3. cap — of ice
  4. land — ground
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — to get on
  8. bat — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. net — after costs
  13. cap — a hat
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cap — a lid
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. land — to come down

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