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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.

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: bowl · trunk · dip · mate · hand · perch · wake · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — a trail
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — to sink

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