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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — a face
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. band — a music group
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. mug — a cup
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stand — to bear
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. patient — a sick person

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