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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — a phone
  7. field — for sport
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — the fish
  10. club — a group
  11. field — farmland
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. can — a tin
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for golf
  24. can — to be able to

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