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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 116 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: fan · patient · hand · trunk · land · ground · perch · bulb

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — a position
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hand — help
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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