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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — the tool
  4. object — a thing
  5. ground — the earth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ground — a position
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. game — a match
  24. band — a ring

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