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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: perch · mine · vault · pitch · patient · bear · lie · clip

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — to cut
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lie — to recline
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — for paper
  24. perch — for a bird

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