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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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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: tear · toast · ground · bank · chest · leaves · patient · band

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bank — of a river
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — for money
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. toast — bread
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ground — crushed
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a ring

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