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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tube — a container
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — help
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — a stick
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — the underground

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