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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. staff — employees
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. scale — in music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — a break
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bank — of a river
  19. staff — employees
  20. rest — what's left
  21. clip — a video
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — for paper

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