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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: patient · band · wind · pitcher · mate · lash · pit · mouse

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mate — a partner
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pitcher — a jug

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