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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: rule · dip · cabinet · wave · patient · band · kid · bound

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bound — certain
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rule — government
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a ring
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rule — a law
  24. dip — a sauce

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