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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 120 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: band · prune · arm · patient · stick · fan

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a music group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter

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