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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — help
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — in 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