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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · field · wave · staff · rest · current · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — farmland
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — what's left
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — of water
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. current — happening now
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — electric
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rest — a break
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. band — a ring
  23. field — a subject
  24. staff — employees

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