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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — a video
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. tube — a container
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. content — the amount
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. date — the fruit
  24. foot — a measure

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