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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: band · swing · staff · tube · jam · foot · chest · patient

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — the underground
  3. foot — a measure
  4. swing — music
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. band — a music group
  10. staff — employees
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tube — a container
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. staff — a stick

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