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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a music group
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. track — a path
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. firm — a company
  15. shower — rain
  16. wind — moving air
  17. shower — to wash
  18. track — a song
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — steady
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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