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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cue — a hint
  3. net — in sport
  4. cue — for pool
  5. snap — to click
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a signal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. net — after costs
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chair — a leader
  17. band — a ring
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — an injury

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