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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bound — tied together
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — to recline
  15. press — newspapers
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ball — a great time
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. clip — for paper

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