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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: patient · pound · club · pitcher · pop · fork · clip · bore

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. club — for golf
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — to drill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. club — a group
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pop — soda
  22. bore — to tire
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pound — a weight

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