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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 · stock · mine · wake · key · cap · rush · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — goods
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stock — shares
  12. key — in music
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wake — a trail
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — for digging

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