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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lie — to recline
  4. degree — temperature
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a music group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bore — to tire
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a ring
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. file — a tool
  14. degree — an amount
  15. swing — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a document
  18. swing — to play on
  19. perch — the fish
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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