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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · hand · band · nail · wound · patient · court · lash

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. band — a ring
  5. court — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — the time now
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a music group
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — help
  22. present — a gift
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. court — of a king

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