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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: hand · clip · perch · tube · firm · season · face · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. season — of the year
  4. hand — help
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — in sport
  8. clip — a video
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — the underground
  19. suit — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. firm — a company
  24. perch — the fish

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