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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cap — a lid
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. shower — rain
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — for catching
  8. tube — the underground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. toast — bread
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — to wash
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. band — a ring
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — a container
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — in sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — of ice

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