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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — to eat
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — music
  14. clip — a video
  15. roll — a list
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — to come from
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. clip — to cut

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