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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hand — help
  3. march — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — in music
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — in cards
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — the month

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