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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a ring
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — clothes
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. present — a gift
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — to fit
  16. present — there
  17. suit — in cards
  18. present — the time now
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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