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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. march — music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — a container
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. dip — to sink
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hand — in cards
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to click

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