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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — what's left
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pop — soda
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wake — a trail
  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