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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.

Make a worksheet

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: track · patient · pass · band · board · arm · pitcher · straw

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pass — a permit
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — a path
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — to get on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. track — a song

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