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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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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: object · bat · patient · clip · stand · wind · season · mate

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mate — a partner
  9. object — an aim
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mate — to breed
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. object — to protest
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — a friend
  22. clip — a video
  23. stand — to bear
  24. season — in sport

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