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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: last · patient · rush · perch · jam · chest · content · fan

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — a box
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — finally
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — final
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — hurry
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. perch — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — the amount
  24. last — to go on

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