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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · trunk · chair · race · bank · patient · can · rash

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chair — a leader
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bank — of a river
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. race — the arms race
  19. band — a music group
  20. rash — a series
  21. can — a tin
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bank — for money
  24. race — a contest

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