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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 120 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: patient · field · pound · rush · spell · band · lean · perch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pound — a weight
  4. band — a music group
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lean — thin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. perch — the fish
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — letters

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