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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 116 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: deal · stand · rash · land · prune · band · cap · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — to come down
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cap — a lid
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. land — a country
  11. stand — to bear
  12. band — a music group
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — ground
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stand — on your feet

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