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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. band — a music group
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ground — a position
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ground — the earth
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rush — hurry
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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