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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tube — the underground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. capital — a city
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. band — a ring
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. capital — money
  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