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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: wind · temple · trunk · patient · perch · spring · present · snap

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — there
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spring — a coil
  10. present — the time now
  11. snap — to click
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spring — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. present — a gift
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — for a bird

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