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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: patient · last · toast · ground · pass · fall · straw · perch

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — the season
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. toast — bread
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. ground — crushed
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. last — finally
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. perch — for a bird

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