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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 120 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 · track · mate · bank · lean · bat · chair

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — a box
  6. track — a song
  7. mate — a friend
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lean — thin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bat — in an idiom

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