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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. band — a music group
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. band — a ring
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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