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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · clip · patient · tube · scale · lie · field · file

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a document
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tube — the underground
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. clip — for paper
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lie — to recline
  12. file — a tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — farmland
  19. tube — a container
  20. clip — to cut
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — a video
  23. scale — in music
  24. lie — an untruth

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