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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: bass · jam · patient · face · rush · band · stem · saw

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. band — a music group
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bass — low music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stem — to come from
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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