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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · spring · bat · patient · clip · fan · lean · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — a coil
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. clip — a video
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spring — of water
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. key — in music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. patient — a sick person

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