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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. present — the time now
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — for light
  6. kid — to tease
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. present — a gift
  15. tube — the underground
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. present — there
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kid — child

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