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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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468
Word bank
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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rest — a break
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — child
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rest — what's left
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. toast — bread
  24. mine — for digging

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