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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · hand · squash · cap · patient · hide · scale · fork

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cap — of ice
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cap — a hat
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — in music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. squash — the sport

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