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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: tube · rash · key · patient · bound · prune · band · date

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — the underground
  3. key — for a lock
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. key — the most important part
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — tied together
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a music group
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. band — a ring
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. key — in music
  23. tube — a container
  24. bound — certain

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