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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cap — a lid
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cap — a hat
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rush — to hurry

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