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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 · field · stem · patient · leaves · hand · dip · bass

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. hand — help
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. field — farmland
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bass — the fish
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. dip — to sink
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — for sport

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