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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. suit — to fit
  5. land — ground
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. suit — in cards
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — a video
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. suit — clothes
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — an illness
  23. clip — for paper
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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