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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. present — the time now
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — the season
  7. band — a music group
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cue — a signal
  13. present — there
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cue — for pool
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — of water
  24. present — a gift

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