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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.

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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fork — in a road
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. race — a contest
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a music group
  12. kid — child
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — a friend
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. band — a ring
  24. fork — a garden tool

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