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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. clip — a video
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — to cut
  13. charge — a price
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bound — certain
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rest — a break

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