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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · roll · bass · clip · bore · field · lie · kick

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — a video
  5. roll — a list
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — low music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bore — to tire
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. roll — a cake
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kick — in football
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — a subject
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kick — with a leg

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