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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a music group
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bass — low music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. clip — to cut
  12. band — a ring
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bass — the fish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. clip — for paper
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bore — to drill

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