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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 · bank · swing · pound · prune · land · band · rush

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. band — a music group
  5. swing — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a ring
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bank — for money
  24. pound — for dogs

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