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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. firm — steady
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. track — a path
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. firm — decided
  13. net — for catching
  14. track — to keep track
  15. band — a music group
  16. firm — a company
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. track — a song

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