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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: band · fall · row · rock · stick · clip · tear · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rock — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — a video
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fall — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fall — to drop

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