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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. clip — for paper
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. clip — to cut
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. board — to get on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. clip — a video
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — belonging to me

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