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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. last — finally
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. row — a line
  7. last — final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. band — a ring
  18. rash — a series
  19. last — to go on
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitch — completely
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a music group

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