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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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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: patient · field · season · last · perch · drill · bulb · land

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — army training
  4. field — a subject
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. land — ground
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — a country
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — to come down
  20. season — of the year
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — a practice
  24. last — finally

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