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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: bass · patient · land · bear · field · perch · rash · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — the fish
  3. field — farmland
  4. land — to come down
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. perch — the fish
  7. land — a country
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bass — low music
  20. field — a subject
  21. land — ground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bear — to put up with
  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