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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — of a river
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bank — for money
  21. perch — the fish
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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