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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. club — for golf
  8. row — a line
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. club — a group
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — in biology
  15. can — to be able to
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cell — in a prison

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