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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. band — a music group
  4. rest — a break
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. can — to be able to
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. tube — a container
  19. band — a ring
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — the amount

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