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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: patient · cell · present · bowl · key · band

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. band — a ring
  3. present — the time now
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. key — for a lock
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. key — in music
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — there
  18. key — the most important part

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