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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. row — to paddle
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pass — a permit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. row — a quarrel

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