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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — for betting
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. tube — a container
  7. chip — to eat
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tube — the underground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — of a bank

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