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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.

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: fan · perch · wave · patient · mouse · spring · mate · fall

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — a coil
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — of water
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mate — a partner
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mouse — for a computer

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