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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · face · press · mine · perch · leaves · patient · roll

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — the fish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. clip — for paper
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — to confront
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — part of the head
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — to push
  18. roll — a cake
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — belonging to me

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