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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. row — a line
  4. date — the fruit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bass — low music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. row — to paddle
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — a partner

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