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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.

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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — a coil
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — army training
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — belonging to me

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