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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — help
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — a series
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. trunk — of a car

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