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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. track — a song
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a path
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — to grow
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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