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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 116 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 · calf · clip · rule · fall · mug · object · last

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fall — the season
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. object — to protest
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — finally
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. object — an aim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — to go on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — final
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. object — a thing

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