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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: mine · cold · patient · perch · swing · calf · rule · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. perch — the fish
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rule — government
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rule — a law
  24. cold — not warm

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