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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ball — a great time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bass — the fish
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bass — low music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rash — a series
  24. patient — a sick person

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