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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 · cabinet · bat · pop · ground · patient · ball · dip

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — soda
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a ring
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bat — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — a position
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pop — music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ball — a dance

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