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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bank — for money
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bank — of a river
  21. fine — all right
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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