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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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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: bulb · snap · rest · calf · patient · coach · tear · band

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to click
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rest — a break
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — to rip
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — a trainer

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