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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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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: hand · patient · rule · bank · stick · cap · racket · perch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rule — government
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rule — a law
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — for money
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. cap — a hat
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — help
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. perch — the fish

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