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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: row · band · swing · wake · rush · pitcher · patient · rash

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. row — to paddle
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wake — a trail
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. swing — music
  19. row — a line
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — hasty

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