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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. file — a line of people
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a document
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rash — a series

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