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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: present · patient · spell · wax · object · clip · perch · field

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. present — there
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — farmland
  5. spell — letters
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. present — the time now
  8. clip — to cut
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. clip — for paper
  12. field — a subject
  13. spell — magic
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — a thing
  16. present — a gift
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. spell — a short time
  24. object — an aim

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