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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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Word bank
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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rest — what's left
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — a break
  9. present — the time now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — there
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. present — a gift
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. band — a ring
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — a thing
  24. chest — a box

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