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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. tube — a container
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rest — a break
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — finally
  15. rash — a series
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lean — to bend
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. shower — rain
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. patient — a sick person

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