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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wake — a trail
  6. band — a ring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — to eat
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. season — in sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  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