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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: perch · lie · trunk · board · shower · swing · land · patient

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — to get on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. swing — in golf
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. board — a committee
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. swing — music
  21. perch — the fish
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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