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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — a law
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. band — a ring
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. staff — employees

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