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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — hasty
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. bulb — for light
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. plane — a tool
  18. club — a group
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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