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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — a container
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. roll — a cake
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. present — a gift
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. present — the time now
  13. rock — a stone
  14. present — there
  15. row — a line
  16. rock — music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. roll — a list
  23. tube — the underground
  24. row — to paddle

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