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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — a container
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hand — help
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — the underground
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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