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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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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: band · bear · mug · patient · wake · march · jam · cabinet

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. band — a ring
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. band — a music group
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. march — music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mug — to rob
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cabinet — ministers

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