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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: band · root · snap · patient · cap · bear · wave · lean

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. root — the cause
  7. band — a ring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. root — of a word
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. band — a music group

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