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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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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: clip · ruler · patient · foot · land · toast · kid · jam

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — to cut
  3. kid — to tease
  4. foot — a measure
  5. clip — for paper
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. land — to come down
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — a country
  11. clip — a video
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — child
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — ground
  17. toast — bread
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. jam — a tight spot

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