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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a committee
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. firm — steady
  6. band — a ring
  7. cell — in biology
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — a phone
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. firm — a company
  16. board — to get on
  17. firm — decided
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bark — to shout
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a rubber band

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