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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: chest · patient · pitch · bank · capital · jam · tube · rash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bank — for money
  9. rash — a series
  10. capital — a city
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. capital — money
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — for money
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chest — of your body

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