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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
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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: lie · staff · wound · patient · mouse · clip · net · ball

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a dance
  20. staff — a stick
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. clip — for paper

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