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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — help
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hand — in cards
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. tube — a container
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. saw — the tool

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