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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a ring
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. net — in sport

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