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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. season — of the year
  2. game — a match
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wind — moving air
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. band — a rubber band
  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