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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.

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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: last · patient · clip · perch · lean · track · coach · board

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lean — to bend
  5. clip — a video
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — to cut
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — finally
  13. track — a path
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. board — a committee
  16. last — final
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. clip — for paper
  22. board — to get on
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. coach — a trainer

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