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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — soda
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. content — the amount
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. band — a music group
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cue — a signal

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