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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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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: wind · bear · patient · spell · rest · calf · clip · charge

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. charge — a price
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — for paper
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spell — magic
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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