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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — a committee
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tube — the underground
  19. prune — to trim
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — to get on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. board — a flat piece

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