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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.

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: jam · track · chest · pit · season · patient · mine · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a song
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chest — of your body
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chest — a box
  15. season — in sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. jam — in traffic

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