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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — to come down
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — a series
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — in cards
  22. net — in sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — after costs

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