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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — to come down
  6. band — a ring
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. tube — the underground
  17. band — a music group
  18. land — a country
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. lie — to recline
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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