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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. scale — in music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. scale — size or range
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. patient — a sick person

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