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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — low music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mug — a face
  5. firm — a company
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cold — an illness
  18. firm — steady
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rock — music
  24. firm — decided

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