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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. row — a line
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a ring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — a trail
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. band — a music group
  18. stand — to bear
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. row — to paddle
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mine — belonging to me

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