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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. track — a song
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bass — low music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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