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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. band — a music group
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. band — a ring
  12. kick — in football
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bark — to shout
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — a match
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kick — a thrill

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