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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. clip — for paper
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. face — part of the head
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — to sink
  12. deal — to handle
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. season — in sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. face — to confront
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — of the year
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. clip — a video

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