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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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. object — an aim
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. date — the fruit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — to protest
  11. pop — soda
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — to cut
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pop — music
  18. object — a thing
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pop — to visit
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. drill — army training
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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