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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.

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 · patient · kid · plane · bank · rush · mate · clip

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. clip — to cut
  6. track — a path
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rush — hurry
  10. clip — a video
  11. plane — a tool
  12. track — a song
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — to breed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kid — child
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kid — to tease
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. clip — for paper

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