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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. march — the month
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — in sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — in golf
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — a video
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — of a river
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. swing — to play on

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