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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. band — a ring
  10. present — the time now
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. drill — the tool
  21. band — a music group
  22. present — there
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. drill — army training

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