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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: coach · current · arm · net · tube · patient · band · chair

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. net — after costs
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — of water
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — the underground
  13. current — happening now
  14. net — for catching
  15. chair — a leader
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. tube — a container
  24. current — electric

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