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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stand — to bear
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pop — to visit
  7. scale — in music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pop — music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pop — soda
  17. clip — to cut
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — a video

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