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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wound — an injury
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. snap — to click

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