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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. capital — money
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. band — a music group
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — rain
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a ring
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ground — crushed
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ground — a position
  20. capital — a city
  21. stand — to bear
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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