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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. squash — to crush

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