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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. net — for catching
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mate — to breed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — in sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. band — a ring
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — after costs
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bank — for money
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. band — a music group
  24. season — of the year

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