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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: row · patient · perch · last · track · arm · leaves · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. fine — all right
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — to go on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fine — high quality
  8. last — finally
  9. row — to paddle
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — the fish
  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