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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. tube — a container
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tear — to rip
  6. spring — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. drill — the tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tear — from crying
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stand — to bear
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tube — the underground
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. suit — in cards
  24. stand — for spectators

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