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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · rest · patient · cue · perch · wound · spell · band

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a music group
  3. firm — steady
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — a hint
  6. firm — a company
  7. cue — a signal
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rest — a break
  12. band — a ring
  13. spell — a short time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spell — letters
  23. firm — decided
  24. rest — what's left

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