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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: perch · chip · wax · coach · patient · last · shower · season

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — in sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — to wash
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. perch — the fish
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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