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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. object — an aim
  3. tube — the underground
  4. march — music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. tube — a container
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — a thing
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. object — to protest
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a music group
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a ring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. sharp — with an edge

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