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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. band — a music group
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — help
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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