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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — in sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. clip — for paper
  7. dip — to sink
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a ring
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cue — a hint
  15. band — a music group
  16. cue — for pool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cue — a signal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. clip — a video
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. game — a match
  24. patient — a sick person

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