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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. rule — a law
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — for paper
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kick — in football
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hand — help
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hand — in cards
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. foot — a measure

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