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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 120 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
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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: fan · clip · rest · face · bound · patient · perch · bulb

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — tied together
  8. face — part of the head
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — a break
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — a video
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. face — to point toward
  24. patient — a sick person

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