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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — a grade
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chair — a leader
  21. clip — a video
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mark — a trace

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