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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. root — the cause
  4. band — a music group
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. present — the time now
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a cake
  10. present — there
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. present — a gift
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. root — of a word
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. roll — a list

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