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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: wound · deal · chest · patient · staff · straw · wake · bank

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — for money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bank — for money
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chest — a box
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chest — of your body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bank — of a river
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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