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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pass — a permit
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. face — to point toward
  11. degree — an amount
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — to confront
  15. degree — temperature
  16. band — a music group
  17. firm — a company
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. can — a tin
  21. band — a ring
  22. degree — from a university
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — part of the head

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