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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — the underground
  3. band — a ring
  4. root — of a word
  5. rest — a break
  6. root — the cause
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pass — a permit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — to grow
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — a container
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. band — a music group
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. band — a rubber band

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