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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — low music
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pound — a weight
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. land — a country
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. band — a music group
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. row — a line

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