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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 · kick · season · patient · bank · chip · bat · racket

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. season — of the year
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bat — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kick — in football
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — in sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chip — in a computer

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