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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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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. current — happening now
  7. game — a match
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. current — of water
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. current — electric
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. clip — a video
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — to cut

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