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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rash — a series
  3. clip — a video
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. calf — of the leg

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