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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: dip · patient · spring · perch · race · rash · clip · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rash — a series
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — a contest
  8. clip — for paper
  9. race — the arms race
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — the season
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bound — obliged
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — to cut
  19. race — humankind
  20. bound — certain
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — a video
  24. dip — a sauce

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