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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. tube — a container
  4. present — a gift
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. present — the time now
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to click
  17. present — there
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tube — the underground
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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