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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to click
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — a measure
  9. clip — for paper
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — a video
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. scale — in music
  24. wave — of the sea

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