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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. can — a tin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. deal — to handle
  10. can — to be able to
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cold — an illness
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. tube — a container
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. row — a line
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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