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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: bore · prune · bear · chest · rash · chip · patient · band

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. band — a music group
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rash — a series
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to tire
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chest — of your body

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