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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 116 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 · march · staff · chip · object · swing · ball · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. band — a ring
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. object — to protest
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ball — a great time
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — music
  20. object — an aim
  21. march — the month
  22. object — a thing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — a stick

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