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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: band · bank · chest · safe · land · patient · content · plane

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. content — the amount
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. content — happy
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bank — for money
  18. plane — a tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. chest — a box
  21. land — to come down
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — a country
  24. safe — out of danger

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