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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. face — to confront
  5. bound — tied together
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mug — a face
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. band — a ring
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ground — a position
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ground — the earth
  24. band — a music group

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