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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 120 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: land · march · row · fan · perch · hand · patient · ground

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — help
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — the earth
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. land — a country

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