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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
468
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: perch · chest · spring · suit · clip · hide · lean · patient

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spring — the season
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lean — thin
  6. spring — of water
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lean — to bend
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — the fish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — a video
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. spring — a coil

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