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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 116 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: track · game · patient · clip · tear · ground · lash · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ground — a position
  13. tear — from crying
  14. scale — in music
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — the earth
  17. clip — a video
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — a path

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