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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 120 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
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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: face · last · prune · patient · mouse · swing · clip · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. last — to go on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — a stone
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — to confront
  8. swing — to play on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. swing — in golf
  12. last — finally
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. last — final
  16. swing — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. prune — to trim

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