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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. press — newspapers
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. press — to push
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — to drill
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bore — to tire
  19. clip — for paper
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. press — a publisher
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — side of the head

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