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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — a face
  4. band — a music group
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mine — for digging
  9. band — a ring
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. field — a subject
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. band — a rubber band

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