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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rest — what's left
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — the fruit

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