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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wake — a trail
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fine — high quality
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fine — all right
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. clip — a video
  24. dip — to dunk

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