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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: land · cue · band · kick · rock · patient · race · bulb

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cue — for pool
  9. land — ground
  10. rock — a stone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. land — a country
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. race — humankind
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a music group
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — to come down
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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