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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — finally
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — to go on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a music group
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. band — a ring
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — clever
  22. last — final
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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