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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — a song
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. shower — rain
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a leader
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. track — a path
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — to tire
  24. track — to keep track

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