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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: chair · mouse · present · arm · band · patient · branch · nail

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. band — a music group
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. present — the time now
  10. chair — a leader
  11. branch — a division
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. present — there
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. present — a gift
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mouse — for a computer

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