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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: clip · pit · staff · patient · board · lie · spring · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. board — a committee
  13. staff — employees
  14. board — to get on
  15. lie — to recline
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. clip — to cut
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — a flat piece

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