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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 120 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: rock · band · lean · tube · patient · mate · march · trunk

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — a partner
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rock — a stone
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. band — a music group
  7. tube — the underground
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rock — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. lean — thin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to rest against

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