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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: bound · patient · spell · band · jam · trunk · pit · staff

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a hole
  13. staff — employees
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bound — certain

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