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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 116 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 · mate · pound · spell · cap · bank · last · clip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spell — magic
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cap — a hat
  9. last — finally
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — a video
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bank — of a river
  14. last — final
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mate — a partner
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mate — a friend
  20. clip — for paper
  21. spell — letters
  22. last — to go on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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