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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: bank · patient · leaves · cue · straw · wound · band · bowl

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a ring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bank — for money
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. band — a music group
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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