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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: can · date · patient · clip · chest · rash · suit · content

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. content — the amount
  3. can — a tin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — a series
  13. content — happy
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chest — of your body
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — to be able to
  20. date — the fruit
  21. clip — for paper
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. suit — to fit

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