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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. bank — of a river
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. file — a document
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. file — a tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pass — a permit
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bark — to shout
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mouse — for a computer

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