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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. firm — decided
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cap — of ice
  11. firm — a company
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cap — a lid
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rock — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. spring — the season
  19. firm — steady
  20. spring — of water
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rock — a stone

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