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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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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 · pound · band · present · chest · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. present — there
  3. band — a ring
  4. chest — a box
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — the time now
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — a gift
  13. band — a music group
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chest — of your body
  18. suit — clothes

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