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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fall — the season
  16. tube — a container
  17. season — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to click
  21. staff — employees
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — of the year
  24. cabinet — ministers

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