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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 · craft · present · bat · patient · racket · lean · stand

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. band — a music group
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lean — thin
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. present — a gift
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. band — a ring
  20. stand — to bear
  21. present — the time now
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. band — a rubber band

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