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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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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: pit · spring · bank · perch · present · bear · patient · chest

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. present — the time now
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bear — the animal
  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