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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — thin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rock — a stone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. band — a ring
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. content — happy
  23. face — to confront
  24. lean — to rest against

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