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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — a video
  9. branch — a division
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. current — electric
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. current — happening now
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — to cut

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