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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: wake · patient · clip · sharp · kick · roll · key · bulb

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. key — in music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. clip — to cut
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — a trail
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. clip — a video
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. key — the most important part
  20. sharp — clever
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bulb — for light

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