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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a music group
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to click
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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