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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — the season
  3. mug — a face
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. charge — a price
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tube — a container
  19. game — a match
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — to rob

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