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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. 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. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — a partner
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — for digging
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. 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