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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fall — to drop
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rash — a series
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. face — to confront
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rash — hasty
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fall — the season
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. kick — in football
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wax — to grow

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