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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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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: key · perch · patient · temple · court · clip · object · stand

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. object — to protest
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of law
  5. clip — to cut
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — the fish
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. object — a thing
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. court — of a king
  17. key — the most important part
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — a video
  22. stand — to bear
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stand — on your feet

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