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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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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: wound · band · pitch · rash · present · deal · patient · chest

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. present — the time now
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rash — hasty
  10. present — a gift
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. deal — to handle
  13. band — a ring
  14. rash — a series
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. present — there
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. deal — a big deal

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