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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 120 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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. present — a gift
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rush — hurry
  18. present — there
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. staff — a stick
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a ring
  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