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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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 — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pass — a permit
  8. scale — in music
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  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