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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. present — a gift
  17. can — to be able to
  18. present — there
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. saw — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. present — the time now
  24. jam — in traffic

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