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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. present — a gift
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wound — an injury

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