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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: leaves · mine · mark · row · patient · clip · game · object

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. clip — a video
  3. mark — a grade
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. row — to paddle
  8. object — an aim
  9. mine — for digging
  10. clip — for paper
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — a match
  15. row — a line
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. game — wild animals
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. leaves — of a tree

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