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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.

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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: deal · stand · shower · cold · patient · rock · jam · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — music
  5. stand — to bear
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — the fish
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. shower — rain
  14. deal — to handle
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cold — an illness

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