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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bass — low music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tube — a container
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kick — in football

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