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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: hide · wake · band · date · patient · hand · nail · root

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. band — a ring
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. date — the fruit

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