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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. fine — all right
  6. object — a thing
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. content — happy
  9. can — to be able to
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. can — a tin
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. can — a tin
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. object — an aim
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. clip — to cut
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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