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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: rush · patient · cap · date · bear · game · chest · perch

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — the fruit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cap — of ice
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — a match
  15. chest — a box
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rush — hurry

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