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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — to cut
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pass — a permit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. dip — to sink
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. dip — a sauce

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