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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. file — a document
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. date — the fruit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bore — to tire
  13. race — a contest
  14. bear — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — humankind
  17. bore — to drill
  18. race — the arms race
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. clip — for paper
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. file — a tool

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