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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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 ring
  3. can — to be able to
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — a tin
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cap — of ice
  10. band — a music group
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a document
  17. ball — a dance
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — of the year
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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