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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: plane · fan · march · lash · perch · patient · pit · trunk

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. march — music
  11. pit — a hole
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — the fish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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