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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — a series
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — farmland
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. tube — a container
  18. field — a subject
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rock — music
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. field — for sport

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