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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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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: patient · lie · cabinet · stick · band · bowl · mate · key

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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. band — a rubber band
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — a partner
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — to recline
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a music group
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. band — a ring
  24. bowl — to roll

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