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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. band — a ring
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fork — in a road
  6. board — to get on
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cell — in biology
  11. band — a music group
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. plane — a tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. fork — a garden tool

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