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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. clip — to cut
  6. object — a thing
  7. bass — the fish
  8. object — an aim
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spring — a coil
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — of water
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. clip — for paper
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — the season
  20. clip — a video
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bass — low music
  24. patient — a sick person

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