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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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 — calm and waiting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fine — high quality
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. march — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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