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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. net — for catching
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. net — after costs
  8. face — to confront
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. staff — a stick
  13. face — part of the head
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tube — a container
  16. net — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spring — the season
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — a coil

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