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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tube — a container
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lash — an eyelash

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