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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — a cake
  3. firm — a company
  4. rest — a break
  5. roll — a list
  6. firm — decided
  7. stand — to bear
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — steady
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mine — for digging
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — a container

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