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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — a container
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ground — a position
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. jam — a tight spot

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