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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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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: patient · stick · trunk · perch · cell · cap · fall · lie

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cap — of ice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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