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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. swing — in golf
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. swing — to play on
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — a video
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. clip — for paper
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. board — a committee
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. swing — music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. root — of a word
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. root — of a plant
  21. board — to get on
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. clip — to cut

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