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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a ring
  10. last — finally
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — final
  18. scale — in music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fine — all right
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fan — a supporter

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