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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rock — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wind — moving air
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. clip — for paper
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pit — in a race
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — a video
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rock — a stone
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — moving air

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