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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: arm · roll · patient · bank · tube · lean · hand · bass

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — the fish
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — of a river
  19. roll — a list
  20. tube — a container
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bass — the instrument
  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