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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: tear · mug · mouse · club · coach · scale · clip · patient

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — a cup
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. clip — a video
  15. mug — a face
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — to rip
  18. club — a group
  19. tear — from crying
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — in music
  22. club — for golf
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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