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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: wake · cap · wave · patient · roll · band · hand · pass

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. roll — a list
  7. band — a music group
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hand — help
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. patient — a sick person

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