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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 · hand · mouse · band · bound · club · season · wave

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. club — a group
  10. hand — help
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — of the year
  16. club — for golf
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. club — for dancing
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mouse — for a computer

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