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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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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. date — the fruit
  6. content — the amount
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — the underground
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — happy
  18. coach — a trainer

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