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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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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — the underground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stem — to come from
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. content — the amount
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — for paper
  16. content — happy
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. field — farmland
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. field — for sport
  24. foot — a measure

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