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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — the fish
  8. last — finally
  9. cold — not warm
  10. last — final
  11. tube — the underground
  12. last — to go on
  13. bass — low music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — an illness
  23. toast — bread
  24. tube — in a tire

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