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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. present — there
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — letters
  6. shower — to wash
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. present — a gift
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — the time now
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bank — for money
  17. clip — a video
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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