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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: season · file · perch · bark · chair · cabinet · game · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. file — a tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a document
  19. bark — to shout
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — of the year
  24. game — a match

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