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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: rash · patient · file · present · tube · sharp · staff · band

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. present — the time now
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. present — there
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a document
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — a series
  21. present — a gift
  22. file — a line of people
  23. tube — a container
  24. patient — a sick person

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