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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — the fish
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bass — low music
  8. mug — a face
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hand — in cards
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. current — of water
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. band — a music group
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mug — a cup
  20. current — happening now
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — electric
  23. hand — help
  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