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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — a video
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. clip — to cut
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wind — moving air
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wind — moving air

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