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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — a video
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bore — to tire
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. can — a tin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — to drill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cue — a hint
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cue — for pool

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