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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. clip — a video
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chest — a box
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bore — to tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to drill
  13. race — humankind
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chest — of your body
  22. perch — the fish
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — the animal

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