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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: season · foot · patient · wind · club · perch · stem · firm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. firm — a company
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wind — moving air
  12. firm — decided
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. club — a group
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. club — for golf
  23. firm — steady
  24. stem — of a plant

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