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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.

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: cue · prune · cell · band · patient · pitch · capital · stock

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cell — in biology
  21. capital — money
  22. cue — a signal
  23. band — a ring
  24. cue — a hint

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