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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. club — for golf
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bound — certain
  15. squash — the sport
  16. content — the amount
  17. bound — obliged
  18. club — a group
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. content — happy
  24. bound — tied together

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