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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: toast · patient · perch · present · fall · land · race · tube

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. present — there
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — the time now
  7. race — a contest
  8. present — a gift
  9. perch — the fish
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tube — the underground
  15. toast — bread
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — a container
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. race — humankind
  21. land — ground
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. fall — to drop

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