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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 · chest · mouse · mate · fine · lean · perch · present

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — to bend
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. present — there
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. present — the time now
  12. chest — a box
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lean — thin
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. present — a gift
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fine — all right

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