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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 116 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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — a subject
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rock — music
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. field — farmland
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rule — government
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — in a road
  20. clip — a video
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — for sport

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