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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. object — to protest
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a ring
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — to go on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — final
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. object — a thing
  24. last — finally

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