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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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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: clip · bark · patient · nail · perch · safe · roll · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. roll — a list
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — the fish
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — government
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rule — a law
  24. safe — out of danger

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