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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rash — a series
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mate — a friend
  8. band — a ring
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mate — to breed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a tool
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. file — a document

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