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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: bank · patient · arm · pit · plane · rash · swing · cold

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. swing — in golf
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bank — for money
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rash — hasty
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — music
  22. bank — of a river
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — to play on

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