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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.

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: perch · patient · bay · calf · wound · rush · march · clip

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rush — hurry
  14. march — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rush — a thrill

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