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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: fall · clip · pass · key · patient · calf · wound · date

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fall — to drop
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. clip — for paper
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. clip — a video
  19. key — the most important part
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. clip — to cut
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. key — in music

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