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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. craft — boats
  4. bank — for money
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rash — a series
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bank — for money
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — a video
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a skill
  24. snap — to click

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