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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — of ice
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — a division
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cap — a hat
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — a video
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rush — a thrill

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