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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: cell · patient · perch · stand · bear · cold · track · temple

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. track — a song
  5. stand — to bear
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cell — in biology
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — to keep track
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. track — a path
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stand — for spectators

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