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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rule — a law
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — for sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — a subject
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rock — music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bound — certain
  24. rule — government

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