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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tube — a container
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. club — for dancing
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tear — to rip
  10. club — a group
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — hurry
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. tear — from crying
  24. patient — a sick person

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