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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cap — a lid
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cap — a hat
  6. club — for golf
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a music group
  9. tube — the underground
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. club — a group
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to click
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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