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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: chest · tear · saw · lash · patient · band · firm · bass

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chest — a box
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. firm — a company
  10. tear — to rip
  11. firm — decided
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. band — a music group
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — low music

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