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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. band — a music group
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — for pool
  6. land — to come down
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — happening now
  13. rest — a break
  14. cue — a signal
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — ground
  17. current — of water
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. current — electric
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of a tree

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