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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 120 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: leaves · patient · wind · face · rash · band · bowl · pitch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rash — a series
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wind — to turn a key

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