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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: net · last · game · patient · deal · rock · tube · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. last — finally
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. game — wild animals
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — to go on
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — final
  17. tube — the underground
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — a match
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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