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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.

Make a worksheet

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: season · clip · squash · file · cabinet · patient · content · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — of the year
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. file — a line of people
  13. season — in sport
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a document
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. file — a tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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