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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — in music
  17. band — a ring
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. arm — a part of something

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