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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: patient · land · band · trunk · club · press · pound · date

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. press — newspapers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — a group
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pound — a weight
  11. club — for golf
  12. band — a music group
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — a country
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — to push
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. date — the fruit
  22. band — a ring
  23. club — for dancing
  24. press — a publisher

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