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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — shares
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lean — to bend
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — goods
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. clip — a video
  15. ball — a great time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. band — a music group

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