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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stem — to come from
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. last — to go on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. last — final
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — a container

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