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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 116 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: land · patient · perch · kick · clip · leaves · rash · prune

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kick — in football
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — the fish
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — a country
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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