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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: patient · perch · date · straw · season · stand · pound · bank

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. season — of the year
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. season — in sport
  8. bank — for money
  9. stand — to bear
  10. perch — the fish
  11. date — the fruit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — for money
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bank — of a river

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