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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tube — a container
  5. firm — a company
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cell — in biology
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. firm — decided
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. band — a music group
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a ring
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. game — wild animals
  23. shower — rain
  24. wave — of the sea

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