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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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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 met the new head ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. firm — a company
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. band — a music group
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. firm — decided
  21. date — the fruit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. firm — steady
  24. patient — a sick person

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