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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 124 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — finally
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. last — to go on
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — final
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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