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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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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 · cue · land · bulb · fan · temple · patient · jam

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. land — a country
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. perch — the fish
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cue — a hint
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bulb — for light
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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