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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. band — a ring
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a music group
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pop — soda
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. plane — a tool

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