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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. last — final
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. clip — a video
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. last — finally
  20. wax — to grow
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pound — a weight
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. racket — for tennis

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