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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: staff · perch · mate · clip · key · lie · roll · tube

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — a container
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. staff — employees
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. key — in music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. clip — for paper
  13. roll — a list
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mate — a friend
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. roll — a cake
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — a video

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