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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. season — of the year
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a music group
  13. staff — a stick
  14. season — in sport
  15. root — the cause
  16. key — in music
  17. hand — help
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. bear — the animal
  24. key — the most important part

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