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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · ground · band · patient · row · cabinet · staff · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — a box
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. ground — the earth
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. chest — of your body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — employees
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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