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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. object — to protest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a dance
  8. object — an aim
  9. toast — bread
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. band — a music group
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. object — a thing
  23. band — a ring
  24. sharp — exactly

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