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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. file — a document
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cap — of ice
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. clip — a video
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. file — a tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cue — a signal
  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