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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: club · patient · rock · game · pop · mine · lean · cue

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pop — soda
  5. game — a match
  6. club — a group
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pop — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pop — to visit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cue — for pool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — thin
  20. rock — music
  21. club — for golf
  22. mine — for digging
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — belonging to me

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