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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
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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 · ball · patient · fan · jam · date · march · straw

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — the fish
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — the month
  12. ball — a great time
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. patient — a sick person

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