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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a ring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. swing — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic

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