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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.

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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: patient · row · pitcher · racket · bass · fork · pitch · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — the fish
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fork — in a road
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — a line
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — completely
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — low music

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