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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — a city
  4. lean — thin
  5. bound — certain
  6. band — a music group
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. capital — money
  10. present — the time now
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. present — there
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. present — a gift
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lean — to bend
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — the tool

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