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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
468
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: patient · dip · racket · file · date · saw · bank · band

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a ring
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bank — of a river
  14. file — a document
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bank — for money
  20. band — a music group
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — the fruit

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