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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 120 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: patient · bass · row · mine · suit · branch · band · tube

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — to paddle
  3. suit — in cards
  4. band — a music group
  5. tube — a container
  6. bass — low music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bass — the fish
  9. suit — to fit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — a division
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. suit — clothes
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. band — a ring
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. row — a line
  24. branch — of a bank

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