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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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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: lash · snap · wake · cell · clip · wound · board · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cell — in biology
  7. snap — to click
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — an injury
  14. clip — a video
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cell — a phone
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. board — to get on
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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