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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 · wake · tube · cap · swing · fork · bulb

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tube — a container
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — for light
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — a trail
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. clip — for paper
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. swing — music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — for light

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