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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: bat · bank · stand · band · chest · wound · patient · chip

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chest — a box

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