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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — a leader
  5. suit — clothes
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. clip — for paper
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — a coil
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. band — a music group
  18. bank — for money
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — the season
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. suit — to fit

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