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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: clip · fork · wave · chest · land · pitcher · key · patient

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — of your body
  4. clip — a video
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — to come down
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. key — for a lock
  13. chest — a box
  14. key — in music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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