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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: squash · chest · patient · bear · band · rule · fine · date

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rule — a law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. band — a ring
  15. rule — government
  16. fine — all right
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — to crush
  22. band — a music group
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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