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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. clip — to cut
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bore — to drill
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kick — in football
  14. band — a music group
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — a permit
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — a video
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a rubber band

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