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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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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: wound · rest · nail · perch · clip · rock · foot · temple

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. clip — a video
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. nail — on a finger

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