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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: field · cabinet · clip · game · perch · stem · charge · patient

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. charge — in control
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. charge — a price
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. charge — electricity
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — farmland
  24. game — wild animals

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