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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 120 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: cue · pit · saw · row · pound · lean · clip · patient

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. saw — the tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pit — a hole
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — a video
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cue — for pool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lean — thin
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. row — a line
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — a signal

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