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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · file · rest · last · lie · patient · pop · saw

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lie — to recline
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. last — final
  9. rest — a break
  10. pop — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — to go on
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. band — a ring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — soda
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. saw — the tool

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