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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · bear · bass · row · hand · patient · rule · perch

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — a line
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — low music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. leaves — lets stay

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