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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. charge — in control
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. charge — a price
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. present — there
  17. band — a music group
  18. present — the time now
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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