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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: mate · stick · mug · band · perch · patient · bore · chest

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — a cup
  6. perch — the fish
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mug — a face
  9. band — a music group
  10. chest — a box
  11. mate — a friend
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bore — to tire

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