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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. tube — a container
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — not warm
  10. season — in sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mine — for digging
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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