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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: bulb · wind · fan · patient · perch · pit · jam · mine

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pit — in a race
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — moving air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — a hole

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