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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a list
  10. wake — a trail
  11. band — a music group
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. roll — a cake
  16. clip — a video
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — finally
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — final
  24. mouse — for a computer

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