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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: chair · patient · perch · track · bark · leaves · fork · lie

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. track — a path
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — to recline
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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