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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. foot — a measure
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. kid — child
  6. bank — for money
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a music group
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bore — to drill
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bank — for money
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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