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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 120 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: clip · firm · perch · foot · deal · mine · cell · patient

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. firm — steady
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. clip — to cut
  8. perch — the fish
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. firm — a company
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. clip — for paper
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — for digging
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — belonging to me

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