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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 120 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: perch · rule · clip · foot · patient · chest · can · safe

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — a video
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rule — government
  13. clip — to cut
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — a law
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chest — a box
  23. perch — the fish
  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