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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: clip · fall · suit · stand · patient · chest · lie · straw

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fall — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — a video
  9. fall — to drop
  10. suit — in cards
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. suit — clothes
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — to bear
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chest — a box
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — of your body

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