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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: tube · staff · patient · band · court · ruler · chair · pound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — the underground
  5. court — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of a king
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. band — a music group
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. staff — employees
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. band — a ring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. court — of law
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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