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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a music group
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stand — to bear
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. shower — rain
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — to wash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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