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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — low music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. snap — to click
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — magic
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — letters
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rest — a break
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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