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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 · patient · nail · rock · last · mug · bowl · spell

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. last — final
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mug — a cup
  8. clip — to cut
  9. last — to go on
  10. mug — a face
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mug — to rob
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — a stone
  15. clip — a video
  16. last — finally
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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