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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · bowl · cap · patient · present · club

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — a video
  4. club — for golf
  5. present — the time now
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cap — of ice
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. present — there

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