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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. band — a music group
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tube — a container
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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