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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rush · patient · face · perch · date · kid · cabinet · rash

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. rash — hasty
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rash — a series
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. kid — to tease
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — to confront
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rush — to hurry
  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