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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. key — in music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — the tool
  9. object — an aim
  10. drill — army training
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. object — to protest
  18. drill — a practice
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. key — the most important part
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — for paper
  24. key — for a lock

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