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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.

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: rash · mug · perch · clip · land · chest · lean · squash

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lean — thin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — a country
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. land — ground
  15. squash — to crush
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. land — to come down
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lean — to bend
  22. chest — a box
  23. mug — a face
  24. clip — to cut

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