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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. band — a ring
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. kick — in football
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. foot — a measure
  23. scale — in music
  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