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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: bear · patient · kid · file · ball · fall · perch · ruler

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. file — a tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fall — the season
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ball — a dance
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a document
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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