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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 116 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: band · patient · mouse · fan · trunk · plane · rash · net

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. net — for catching
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — after costs
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — a series
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. net — in sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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