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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · tube · chair · chest · date · arm · rush

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tube — a container
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tube — the underground

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