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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 116 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: spring · cap · ground · band · object · trunk · patient · pitcher

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. band — a ring
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. cap — a hat
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. object — to protest
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — of water
  24. trunk — of a car

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