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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 · toast · lash · cell · clip · stand · rest · temple

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. toast — bread
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rest — a break
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stand — to bear
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — a phone
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rest — what's left
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. temple — a place of worship

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