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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pop — soda
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tube — a container
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. net — for catching
  16. pop — to visit
  17. net — after costs
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. net — in sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bear — the animal

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