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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. foot — a measure
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a path
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. track — a song
  18. rash — a series
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — to keep track

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