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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: bowl · chest · can · patient · bank · snap · bass · leaves

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — a tin
  6. bank — of a river
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chest — a box
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. can — a tin
  24. bank — for money

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