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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: shower · cell · swing · patient · bulb · perch · date · dip

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. swing — in golf
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bulb — for light
  12. swing — music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. swing — to play on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. dip — to sink
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bulb — for light
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cell — a phone
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bulb — of a plant

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