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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. craft — boats
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. race — a contest
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. race — humankind
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. race — the arms race
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. craft — a handicraft

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