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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. band — a music group
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ground — crushed
  17. band — a ring
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ground — a position
  24. patient — a sick person

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