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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: file · band · key · season · hand · firm · patient · spring

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. firm — decided
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a document
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a ring
  18. firm — steady
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a tool
  21. firm — a company
  22. file — a line of people
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spring — the season

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