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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mug — a face
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tear — to rip
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — a series
  17. track — a song
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — to rob

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