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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: clip · cue · rule · wake · scale · saw · patient · sharp

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. sharp — clever
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rule — a law
  7. cue — a hint
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. saw — the tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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