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

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. roll — a cake
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bore — to drill
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. scale — in music
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. clip — a video
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. scale — size or range
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. roll — a list
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bore — to tire
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. clip — to cut

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