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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: lean · last · tube · patient · band · rest

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. last — final
  4. band — a music group
  5. last — finally
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. rest — what's left
  9. band — a ring
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rest — a break
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — thin
  17. last — to go on
  18. 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