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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 120 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: patient · suit · chest · band · cue · bay · rock · march

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cue — for pool
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a ring
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chest — a box
  16. cue — a signal
  17. band — a music group
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. march — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rock — to move gently

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