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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
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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 · ground · band · bay · calf · pop · bass · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a ring
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. band — a music group
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bass — low music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pop — soda
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — to rip
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. calf — of the leg

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