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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.

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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: patient · track · stick · mug · field · pound · swing · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. track — a song
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. clip — for paper
  8. field — a subject
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. swing — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — a path
  19. field — for sport
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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