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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: present · patient · pass · fall · pitcher · clip · lie · ground

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — a video
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — a position
  5. fall — the season
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. present — the time now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. present — there
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. present — a gift

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