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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
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: swing · clip · wave · leaves · stock · cell · patient · pop

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pop — soda
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stock — shares
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. swing — music
  16. pop — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stock — goods
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. clip — to cut
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cell — a phone

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