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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 · stick · patient · face · fall · band · fan · present

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. present — the time now
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a music group
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a ring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — to cut
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. present — there
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. present — a gift
  24. face — to confront

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