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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. object — a thing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — a measure
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — to point toward
  12. band — a music group
  13. mate — a friend
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mate — to breed
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — to paddle

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