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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chest — a box
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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